Crew Turns 4!

We love this 4 year old boy so much. My Hard drive crashed a while back, so getting these pictures off of it was a task. So happy I finally did it! It was such a fun weekend. My mom and sister came to surprise Crew for his special day. He was shocked to say the least! I wish I could post the video here. We celebrated his birthday on Sunday with both sides of the family. I love that we live so close so some of our favorite people! Laney was so interested in his gifts, and wanted to help open his presents. 

There are so many things that we love about our Crew boy. He is very creative, and colors for hours each day. (spread throughout the day of course) He loves dress up clothes, and playing house with Laney. He is such a good big brother, and son! We love his funny comments, and his sweet heart. I just can't believe he will be FIVE next year. I just feel so much older typing that. Love you Crew-bear!

All About Crew

Our little Crew has been on my mind a lot lately. He is entering into a new stage of life with his upcoming birthday...in just 16 days! He will be 3 (even though he will hold up 3 fingers and insist he is turning 4) and I couldn't be more proud of the little boy he is becoming. I feel like his vocabulary has grown a lot in these last few weeks and the wheels in his head are spinning constantly. I'm always trying to teach him what is right, and I am still trying to figure out how to discipline his cute self. He teaches me things on the daily and catches my every mistake. It's caused me to watch what I say, and always remember that I have a little person following my every move.

He's been the best big brother to Laney lately and he couldn't be more excited about a new little one coming his way. Everyday he asks if he can hold the baby since my "belly is getting BIG!" (thanks sweets.) Today he felt the baby kick and his reaction was priceless. He waited ever so patiently for those teeny, tiny movements from his little buddy. (he swears it's a boy) Being a mother is the greatest calling in life I will ever have. It is very challenging someday's but at the end of the day both of these little kids couldn't love me more. They need me and look to me for everything. I have been overwhelmed lately at the huge responsibility I have as their mother to raise them the right way and teach them all I can in the home. I just need to take one day at a time and be in tune enough so I can catch the little teaching moments throughout the day.

I love you Crew!

"I love you, a Bushel and a Peck..."

I never posted these photos of Crew making play-doh. It was actually really fun. I think if I had a bigger kitchen and and area designated for these types of messes--then I would have been less stressed! He loved choosing the color of jello to make and loved mixing the ingredients together.

He loved kneading the dough and would say when it got sticky, "Oh need more flour." He's just my little chef. 

*******Fast forward a few days*******

Today was pretty rough over here. Days like this always start with Laney not sleeping well during the night, or waking up way too early for the day. I missed my workout this morning--I have been doing pretty good and that wakes me up for the day. Today was a different story. I skipped the workout to sleep in a little longer. I was sluggish all day long! The weather didn't help much either.

Laney learned how to pull herself up onto things today though. That was fun to watch. It's so fun having a little 8month old around again. Now we get to start worrying about all of the bumps and bruises she will get from falls! We have had a few close calls...I need to move the darn killer coffee table tomorrow!

Crew and Laney have been "fighting" a lot lately. It's more just Crew taking toys away from her and she realizes that she does not like it at all. It's hilarious. When she is really mad she will grind her jaw together and clench her fists shut...all while screaming. I wish I could capture it on video! Today she started scooting faster (she still can't formally crawl..which is so fine by me) and took Crew's toys away from him. 

I can't believe she knows already what she wants! Feisty little chick. 

I'm realizing that I need to gear up for this next stage of life! Having another mover around the house is going to throw us all for a loop. I have to start worrying about what she is putting in her mouth...or what Crew is putting in her mouth...(had a few scary close calls with that)

Sunday's are getting crazy too. She can't sit still for the life of her and she just wants to babble her little voice loudly. I secretly love it though. Walking the halls with her isn't so bad. 

Before bed I saw them playing around with each other, which is a usual occurrence before bed. They suddenly become best friends. I love it. Laney gets in these giggle moods at night before bath (when we get her nakie) and Crew loves making her laugh.

Laney is so great for Crew

After I put Crew to sleep he poked his head out of his room and said, "mommy, sing song?"-so I put dishes down and sang him a few songs. He knows most of the words to "I am a child of God", "little bunny foo-foo", and "wheels on the bus." I got teary eyed singing, "I love you a bushel and a peck" because he started to try and sing the words with me. He was following my mouth and repeating what I said. I am so amazed at the things he remembers and tries to learn each day. He is such a sweet little boy and will always have a special spot in my heart! Man I love these two kids. It's really hard to imagine adding more kids into the family because it just feels so right and content with just them.

We are trekking along out here. I always forget that the first couple months are hard because of the weather. It's always storming or raining because of Tornado season---so it's super hard to get outside. Being cooped up with the kids is starting to wear on me, but August will come, and I'll look back and be amazed at the time and where it went.